INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Friday unveiled a ₱50-million reward for information leading to the arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, whom the government now classifies as “armed and dangerous.”
The announcement comes two days after Remulla confirmed dela Rosa is under the protection of an armed group in Mindanao, with negotiations for his peaceful turnover underway. Remulla warned that a forcible operation carries grave risks, estimating it could result in as many as 10,000 deaths.
Remulla criticized dela Rosa for evading authorities, saying: “We have extended him every courtesy due a senator, yet he has responded with cowardice by going into hiding. He mistook our willingness to negotiate for weakness.” The government has issued a one‑week ultimatum for the senator to surrender. Dela Rosa’s legal counsel, Israelito Torreon, responded with “no comment” on the bounty and deadline, but separately argued that the arrest effort lacks legal basis under domestic law.
Torreon’s firm pointed out that no Philippine court has issued an arrest warrant against dela Rosa — the only outstanding order comes from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a tribunal the Philippines formally withdrew from effective March 17, 2019. “A reward system built on Philippine warrants cannot be applied to someone with no local warrant,” the legal team stated. The government has not yet addressed these legal objections, and the standoff continues as negotiations proceed.
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